Verdicts and Settlements

$60.9 Million Verdict for Brain-Injured Baby

Led by partner Deborah J. Gander, the firm in 2005 obtained $60.9 million in injury compensation, the largest amount ever awarded in a Federal Tort Claims Act case in the country. Federal Judge Jose A. Gonzalez found the Obstetrics Clinic in Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville, Florida, liable for medical negligence in the delivery of a brain-injured baby.

Our class action team achieved a $100 million settlement from Service Corporation International (SCI), a national funeral company, and its subsidiary, Menorah Gardens Cemetery. The case alleged that the companies buried families in the wrong graves, and the company agreed to compensate for the families’ grievances and provide in-kind services.

Lion Air Flight 610 Update: Investigators Release Preliminary Crash ReportOn October 29, 2018, a Lion Air flight traveling from Jakarta, Indonesia to Pangkal Pinang crashed into the Java Sea after experiencing a flight control problem minutes after departure. There were no survivors. The Republic of Indonesia’s Komite Nasional Keselamatan Transportasi (KNKT) recently published a preliminary report about Lion Air ...

NHTSA Investigates General Motors Over Faulty Braking SystemAccording to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), more than 2.7 million General Motors (GM) vehicles could be affected by deteriorating brake assist vacuum pumps. After receiving 111 complaints about 2014, 2015 and 2016 truck and SUV models, NHTSA has launched an ...

Marriott Discloses 500 Million Guests Affected by Starwood’s Database HackAccording to Marriott’s press release, Starwood’s guest reservation database was hacked. On September 8, 2018, Marriott International received an internal alert about an unauthorized user attempting to access the Starwood guest reservation database. Since then, investigators found copied and encrypted information from an authorized user. ...

Turning The Key: Are GM Ignition Lawsuits Reigniting?

There have been a lot of defective auto parts recalls lately. In fact, there have been so many that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wants to force carmakers to reveal information vital to recalls sooner. Such an effort could save lives, but it has taken a long time to get to this point, and some victims of previous recalls are still suffering. Unfortunately, the pursuit of justice for some of these victims has only just begun.

Turning The Key: Are GM Ignition Lawsuits Reigniting?

The GM ignition switch recall only started in 2014, but evidence of the defect has existed since 2005. That’s when technical service bulletins started warning dealerships about the problem. Yet the company didn’t notify the NHTSA or the public. Three years later the economic recession hit, and GM was forced into bankruptcy. A new group of executives took over the automaker, and they rolled out the ignition switch recall. But by that point, over 100 people had died and over 250 had been injured.

In response to these devastating losses, victims and their families filed a class action lawsuit against GM. However, because the initial ignition switch defect happened before GM’s bankruptcy, many questioned if the new GM could be held liable. Well, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has answered that question.

Stopping victims from suing GM would also violate their right to due process. And so the court ruled that “New GM” can be held liable for the actions of “Old GM.” This ruling means the automaker could be on the hook for billions to personal injury lawsuits and lost vehicle value claims. Unfortunately, money damages do not truly compensate people who have been hurt or lose their loved ones due to GM’s poor decisions.

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(*) Disclaimer: All verdicts and settlements listed here are gross amounts before deductions for attorney fees and costs. Past results do not guarantee similar results in the future. Most cases result in a lower recovery. It should not be assumed that your case will have as beneficial a result.